INSTRUMENTAL inquisition!

GT: What were the primary musical influences that helped inform this new album, Shapeshifting?

JS: There were so many things I wanted to try. When it came to writing, I wanted to be free of stylistic constraints. I wanted to be free to use any guitar technique no matter what genre it originated from. I wanted an atmosphere in the studio where we could make each song a unique statement of performance, recording and mixing. The album had to ‘shapeshift’ with each song. And, of course, melody and song structure are always most important to me.

GT: How long did it take to amalgamate the tracks?

JS: I composed and made extensive demos at my home studio all last year, in-between going out on the Experience Hendrix tour. I like to create very detailed ProTools session files for each song. I like to make sure I have a really good song before I take it to the next step, making the actual album. Much of what I record winds up getting used on the final recordings. Solos, keyboards, sound effects. It’s a very effective way to build an album. I record all my guitars direct so I can re-amp them later when I know what the actual drums and bass will sound like.

GT: And to record?

JS: We spent about 10 days cutting basics at PLYRZ Studio in Valencia, California in late August and early September. Then Kenny [Aronoff, drums] and I went off on another Experience Hendrix tour. A week after that finished, I went